The partnership will help make
broadband more affordable and accessible for unserved communities in
rural areas of the U.S. and globally

REDMOND, Wash. —Oct. 4, 2018— On Thursday, Redline Communications (TSX:RDL) and Microsoft Corp.
announced a new partnership that will help address the rural broadband
gap using TV White Space technology. Redline, a leader in private
wireless networks, will provide its Virtual Fiberä radio technology in
the TV White Space band to Microsoft Airband Initiative partners.
Together, Redline and Microsoft’s partnership will help make broadband
internet more affordable and accessible to unserved and underserved
customers in rural areas in the United States and globally.
New cloud services and other technologies make broadband connectivity
a necessity to start and grow a small business and to take advantage of
advances in agriculture, telemedicine and education. It is a vital part
of 21st century infrastructure. Yet, more than 19.4 million Americans
living in rural areas lack access to broadband and miss out on the
opportunities that connectivity provides. According to a study from Boston Consulting Group,
a connectivity model that uses a combination of technologies, including
TV White Space, can reduce the cost of extending broadband coverage in
rural communities. TV White Space is an important part of the solution,
creating broadband connections in UHF bands and enabling communication
in challenging rural terrains and highly vegetated areas, all while
protecting broadcasters and other licensees from harmful interference.
This partnership is part of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative,
which aims to close the broadband gap by extending access to 2 million
unserved people in rural America by 2022, using a mix of technology
solutions, including TV White Space.
“Our work with Redline will increase the availability of
competitively priced TV White Space technology, enabling internet
service providers (ISPs) to provide access to customers at an affordable
price point,” said Paul Garnett, senior director of the Microsoft
Airband Initiative. “This availability and utilization of TV White Space
is absolutely critical to closing the broadband gap. This partnership
will bring rapid evolution to the technology, making a real impact on
real lives.”
“With its Virtual Fiberä technology, Redline has been leading the TV
White Space market and has been active in digital divide projects for
almost a decade,” said Rob Williams, CEO at Redline. “In discussions
with Microsoft, we realized that we shared the same vision for
approaching the rural broadband gap, and we each possessed critical
components to the solution. This partnership with Microsoft will help us
address the digital divide more effectively in the U.S. and around the
world.”
In addition to the partnerships with companies like Redline, Microsoft’s Airband Initiative invests
in partnerships with ISPs and other telecommunications companies,
introduces innovative solutions for rural connectivity, and provides
digital skills training for people in newly connected communities.About Redline Communications
Redline Communications (TSX:RDL) designs and manufactures powerful
wide-area wireless networks for mission-critical applications in
challenging locations. Redline networks are used by Oil & Gas
companies onshore and offshore, Mining companies on surface and
underground operations, by municipalities to remotely monitor
infrastructure, and by specialized telecom service providers to deliver
premium services. Thousands of businesses worldwide rely on Redline to
engineer, plan and deliver ruggedized, secure and reliable networks for
their IoT, voice, data and video communications needs. For more
information visit www.rdlcom.com.About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation
for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission
is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to
achieve more.